On a 7-1 vote, the Seattle City Council approved a tax of 1.75 cents per ounce on sugary beverages, such as soda, sports drinks and energy drinks, said the Post Intelligencer. “Supporters hope the tax will help fund educational programs and close the learning gap between white students and students of color, while also curbing consumption of unhealthy sugary beverages.”
The council also adopted an amendment to use tax proceeds, expected to be $15 million a year, for food banks and meals programs, said the newspaper. Diet drinks are not subject to the tax. Some critics said the exclusion benefitted richer and whiter residents of the city, so the tax would have the greatest effect on minority and low-income communities. Council members said they might revisit the diet-drink exemption in the future.
Soda taxes have been approved by voters or elected boards in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Oakland, and Albany, Calif., Boulder, Colo., and Cook County, Ill., which includes Chicago. In early May, voters in Santa Fe, New Mexico, rejected a 2-cent soda tax, a boost for the soft drink industry.